Ewie Cronje, the father of Hansie Cronje, passed away at the age of 80, He was the person who put Free State on the map as a cricket team and introduced the usage if Afrikaans speaking platers to become part of the SA team - the latter team was the preserve of English speaking players for more than a century.
The players he mentored was Donald, Wilkinson and his son Hansie, but he opened the way to selection to the team by many great Afrikaans-speaking subsequent players who previously would have had no chance to play for SA,
He and his family was one of few invited to the wedding of Hansie's widow in 2012 om Durban,
After retiring as President of Free State Cricket - he for many years was a cricket commentator and a highly respected one at that, He was a kind and generous person as was evident in messages sent when news of his death became known.
Sympathy to the family and the loss of a great man in SA Cricket,